{"id":239,"date":"2011-01-28T21:46:40","date_gmt":"2011-01-28T21:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2011\/01\/28\/92-minutes-of-boredom-and-stupidity\/"},"modified":"2012-08-17T05:18:33","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T05:18:33","slug":"92-minutes-of-boredom-and-stupidity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2011\/01\/28\/92-minutes-of-boredom-and-stupidity\/","title":{"rendered":"92 minutes of boredom and stupidity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over at Moving Pictures<\/span>, I reviewed the Simon West\/Jason Statham remake<\/a> of the classic Charles Bronson thriller The Mechanic<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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The recent incarnations of \u201cTrue Grit\u201d and \u201cThe Mechanic\u201d showcase radically different attempts at remakes of classic American films. The former, under the skilled guidance of the Coen brothers and the superior acting of Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld, stays true to its source, often matching or exceeding the original by almost every artistic and aesthetic measure, propelling the movie into the pantheon of great Westerns. With the updated \u201cThe Mechanic,\u201d director Simon West and star Jason Statham create a forgettable film that bears little resemblance to the 1972 Charles Bronson thriller, managing to mire the potentially exciting picture in 92 minutes of boredom and stupidity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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None of this surprises since the script by Richard Wenk (\u201c16 Blocks\u201d) and Lewis John Carlino (crafter of the original \u201cMechanic\u201d screenplay) overly relies on coincidence and unexplainable scenarios to move the story. At times laughable, the dialogue employs stereotypes right from Thriller Writing 101. Save for one brief scene late in the picture, the same holds true of the action sequences, which display a lack originality and tend toward the tedious.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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In his first action movie since 2001\u2032s \u201cLara Croft: Tomb Raider,\u201d West, whose pedigree includes \u201cCon Air\u201d and \u201cThe General\u2019s Daughter,\u201d exemplifies the continued decline of the once-lauded American action film. \u201cThe Mechanic,\u201d much like the vast majority of 21st-century thriller movies, promises plenty of pyrotechnics, blood and very little entertainment.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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Over at Moving Pictures, I reviewed the Simon West\/Jason Statham remake of the classic Charles Bronson thriller The Mechanic. Quote: The recent incarnations of \u201cTrue Grit\u201d and \u201cThe Mechanic\u201d showcase radically different attempts at remakes of classic American films. The … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n